Voters in Burlington, Vt., on Tuesday approved a non-binding ballot referendum calling for the city council to ask the Air Force to cancel its plan to bring 18 F-35 fighter jets to the Vermont Air National Guard base at Burlington International Airport. Opponents of the Air Force’s basing decision — whose efforts to block the move previously failed in both state and federal courts — say the fifth-generation combat aircraft would be too loud and could pose a safety threat in a densely populated area. Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said he would revisit the issue but added the city is “a long way” from making a request to the Air Force to change its plans, reports VTDigger.VTDigger photo by Bob LoCicero Dan Cohen AUTHORread more

4:51 Tags Since 2016, Netflix has been the first place to watch Disney’s movies with a subscription. That deal made Netflix the go-to place for the biggest US blockbusters of the last three years. The top two movies of 2017 and the top three movies of 2016 and 2018 were all from Disney. Netflix has been the place to binge them all. But Disney decided against renewing that Netflix deal as it plotted its own competitor. So starting with Disney’s 2019 slate of movies, all those films are destined for Disney+. But Netflix’s Marvel Defenders shows are complicated. Netflix has put out five original series based on Defenders’ characters in partnership in with Disney. This year, Netflix canceled three of them: Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. But the terms of their original deal could restrict Disney+ from any revivals until 2020, according to a report. At the same time, Netflix still has subsequent seasons of other Defenders series — Jessica Jones and The Punisher — set to come out in 2019. So some of the Defenders gang is staying at Netflix for the time being. Marvel, like Star Wars’ Lucasfilm and Pixar, are part of Disney. They’ll all be packaged into the new streaming service. The service will also include its own exclusive originals. They’ll include a live-action, big-budget Star Wars TV series called The Mandalorian, being developed by Jon Favreau; a Star Wars Rogue One prequel TV series, starring Diego Luna, and a live-action Marvel series focused on Avengers character Loki, starring Tom Hiddleston. First published Dec. 18 at 10:16 a.m. PT. Update on Dec. 19 at 8:01 a.m. PT: Adds more context. CNET’s Holiday Gift Guide: The place to find the best tech gifts for 2018.Culture: Your hub for everything from film and television to music, comics, toys and sports. Share your voice Netflix canceled its original production of Marvel’s Daredevil last month. Nicole Rivelli/Netflix Maybe Daredevil, Iron Fist and Luke Cage will live to fight another day. Kevin Mayer, the Disney executive in charge of the company’s planned Netflix-rival streaming service called Disney+, said he’d consider reviving the programs, according to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “We haven’t yet discussed that, but I would say that’s a possibility,” he said of resurrecting the canceled series he called “very high-quality shows.” Netflix declined to comment. Disney, which is taking over major parts of 21st Century Fox, is aiming to build a Hollywood fortress with the resources to battle deep-pocketed tech-media companies like Netflix. Disney’s plan to launch a competing streaming service has turned the company’s relationship with Netflix on its head. After this year, Disney will mostly disappear from Netflix. Every Stan Lee Marvel movie cameo 27 Comments Marvel Disney Netflix TV and Movies Digital Media Now playing: Watch this:read more

Princess Diana smiles wearing a Cambridge tiara during a dinner and a reception at the British Embassy in Washington, DC on November 10, 1985.REUTERSThe chances of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry calling their child Diana are high. As was revealed by bookmaker Coral in the RoyalFamily website. The firm, Coral, has gotten monstrous wagers from punters, with many trusting that this will be the name of the infant.The chances that the newborn will be a young lady has already been betted heavily upon and the most recent chances come only days after Diana was way off the mark to fixing as a top choice. Another name that shares the same situation is Elizabeth, both scooping chances of 6-1. Following up is Victoria at 8-1, with Grace and Alice both stuck at 12-1.And if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are to have a baby boy then James and Arthur can be wagered on at 16-1. Elizabeth had shot to the highest point of our wagering throughout the most recent week or somewhere in the vicinity however punters have now come in for Diana afresh,” Harry Aitkenhead, from Coral, stated. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagementChris Jackson/Getty Images”The pair are presently joint-top choices in the market at 6-1 and it appears that Royal fans are persuaded the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will pay tribute to a noticeable individual from the family when they’re picking the name of their first kid.” He further included, “At this stage now we would be stunned on the off chance that it was a kid, and we scarcely taking any wagers on those names at the moment.”James and Arthur are the two most limited valued yet are well back in the market at 16-1.”Meghan, 37, plans to have a home birth at the Frogmore Cottage with Prince Harry, 34, close by. She plans to emulate the Queen’s example, who brought forth her four youngsters at her regal living arrangements.Though, the Duchess of Sussex has not discounted for an emergency clinic conveyance because of the complications that are usually associated with women above 35 years of age.read more

Amazon Go, the retailer’s automated grocery store, opens Monday in Seattle.The store, located at 2131 7th Ave. near the corner of 7th and Blanchard, will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is intended to help speed up the shopping experience by ditching the traditional checkout.Just head to the Amazon Go store, open the corresponding app, and scan your phone on the way in. From there, you can stow away your phone and grab all the items you need. When you’re finished collecting your items, just walk out of the store. No more lines or registers. Amazon will then send a receipt and charge your Amazon account.As Amazon explains, the stores use “the same types of technologies used in self-driving cars: computer vision, sensor fusion, and deep learning.”First announced in December 2016, the store was expected to launch in early 2017. The opening was delayed, however, due to “technical issues,” The Wall Street Journal reported last year.Amazon Go is now apparently ready to accept customers; the store’s website teases a Jan. 22 open date for the 1,800-square-foot space. Inside, shoppers will find “ready-to-eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack options made by our chefs and favorite local kitchens and bakeries.” Find staples like bread and milk, as well as artisan cheeses, locally made chocolates and Amazon Meal Kits.If you need assistance, Amazon says the stores will be staffed with associates who can help and make recommendations.The Amazon Go app will be available “soon” in the Apple App Store, Google Play and Amazon Appstore, according to Amazon.Since announcing Amazon Go, meanwhile, Amazon has acquired Whole Foods and rolled out a pickup service for Amazon Fresh, also in Seattle. Amazon Dash Wand also scans barcodes to simplify shopping. January 22, 2018 2 min read This story originally appeared on PCMag Problem Solvers with Jason Feifer Hear from business owners and CEOs who went through a crippling business problem and came out the other side bigger and stronger. Listen Nowread more

UK free-to-air satellite operator Freesat has launched a new app that will let viewers plan what to watch and control their TVs from their mobile device.Launched today, the free Freesat App is available to download on Apple iOS devices and will act as a companion to Freesat’s connected TV platform, Freetime.Viewers will be able to use the app to browse programme picks for the week ahead, scroll back through Freesat’s backwards EPG, search for content, remotely set programmes to record, and launch on-demand programmes to play on their TV.“The new Freesat App is, we believe, a game changer for the free TV market. January is naturally a popular month for staying in – so it’s perfect timing to make the most of all the great new TV programmes that are on via the Freesat App,” said Freesat managing director Emma Scott.She added that the launch fits with Freesat’s “core goal” of opening up “fantastic subscription-free TV.”Freesat’s Freetime service gives viewers access to on-demand services from all the main UK terrestrial broadcasters – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel Five. It also offers set-top access to YouTube, with Scott telling DTVE that Freesat is currently talking to more on-demand content providers.The Freesat app was developed in-house with support from London-based app design and development firm, Nice Agency. The initial release is for Apple devices only, but there are plans for an Android version to follow, said Scott.read more

Germany should see sales of 8.2 million TV sets over the Christmas period, up 5% year-on-year, according to forecasts from consumer electronics industry association GFU.However, a fall in prices of TVs will lead to a slight fall in revenue of about 1.5% to €4.7 billion, according to the association. The GFU predicts that smart TVs will account for 76% of units sold.Overall, the GFU expects consumer electronics will deliver sales of €8.5 billion over the Christmas period, up 2.3%, with overall sales for 2014 up 2.5% to €27.6 billion.read more